August 13, 2007

ONTARIO RESEARCH FUND – RESEARCH INFRASTRUCTURE PROGRAM

The McGuinty government is helping researchers obtain the tools they need to stay on the forefront of innovation, including lab space, equipment and computer software through the Research Infrastructure program of the Ontario Research Fund. This round of funding under the program will provide $206,771 to support two world-class projects in Thunder Bay.

Lakehead University

Infrastructure for Lakehead University Green Energy Laboratory
New bio-energy products to boost forest industry growth

Lead researchers: Charles Chunabo Xu and Mathew Leitch
Total project cost: $338,783
Provincial funding: $135,514

Ontario’s forestry and pulp-and-paper industries have been hard hit in recent years by soaring energy prices. To help industry leaders find solutions to this challenge, Lakehead University is establishing an innovative new Green Energy Laboratory. Led by Drs. Chunabo Charles Xu and Mathew Leitch, scientists from the university’s Department of Chemical Engineering and the Faculty of Forestry and the Forest Environment collaborate to research and develop innovative biomass conversion technologies that will produce biofuels and other value-added products. By tapping into the huge potential of biomass energy, Ontario’s forest industries will be able to reduce their reliance on expensive fossil fuels and build a stronger competitive future fueled by sustainable energy resources.

Broadband Communications Networks Laboratory
Accelerating high speed networks in Ontario’s North

Lead researcher: Hassan Naser
Total project cost: $201,408
Provincial funding: $71,257

Internet telephony, video-on-demand and other bandwidth-hungry applications are driving a high-speed race to discover better ways to push more data through our residential and commercial communications networks. At Lakehead University’s new Broadband Communications Networks Laboratory, cutting-edge experimental research under the direction of Dr. Hassan Naser is exploring new possibilities in dynamic bandwidth allocation and other approaches that promise to dramatically improve the efficiency of next-generation fibre-based networks. High-speed networks are a critically important economic resource for Northern Ontario and the rest of the province.

Ontario Research Fund

The McGuinty government is investing $527 million over five years through the Ontario Research Fund. The fund is a key part of the government’s plan to promote scientific excellence by supporting research that can be developed into innovative goods and services that will boost Ontario’s economy. The fund also helps researchers move new ideas from Ontario’s labs to the global marketplace.

The fund provides one window for research funding. Proposals for funding are evaluated through a competitive, peer-review process.

The province matches funding commitments made by the Canada Foundation for Innovation through the Research Infrastructure program. Project funding is shared among the Canada Foundation for Innovation (up to 40 per cent), the province (up to 40 per cent), and the research institutions and industry partners (at least 20 per cent).

For more information about the Ontario Research Fund, please visit www.ontario.ca/innovation.